The Arrangement

Chapter 2: Eleanor “Ellie” Arthur

Ellie's P.O.V:

As I sit in the lawyers office waiting for my name to be called, I can't help but think about the irony of it all. I am 28 years old, mother of one under two years of age and about to be divorced after only being married for not even 5 months. My mama told me not to marry that A*****e, but I was carrying his child and I did not want to be doing this on my own. However, here I am getting ready to do exactly that.

I was with Steven for 10 years before he decided to follow his balls to greater pastures. I know its probably because after I had our son I stopped taking care of myself. My brown ombre hair became dull and lived mostly in a messy bun, makeup was no longer an option and my wardrobe most days made me look like a homeless person.

"Eleanor Arthur?" the tall brunette receptionist asked.

"Yes, that me" I mumbled as I stood.

"Ms. Sanford will see you now" she says as I follow her to the conference room where my lawyer was waiting.

Ms. Sanford was a short slender women with auburn hair that ended just above her shoulders. She was dressed to a T in a plain black pencil skirt with matching blazer. Much more elaborate then my thrown together gray body con dress and blazer combination.

"Mrs. Arthur I presume" She says while standing holding out her hand to shake mine.

"Yes" I said nervously not prepared for all this to start.

She continued on with the matter at hand. "I took a look at your case and it looks like we can get this divorce done pretty quickly, however, we may have to do some mediation for a custody and visitation agreement regarding your 14 month old Oliver James Arthur".

I nodded my head agreeing to what she was saying before interjecting. "Steven and I had already come to the agreement that he would get Ollie every other weekend and pick him up from daycare the days I work". I presumed Steven agreed to this arrangement because he didn't want it to affect his time with his new fling.

"Great. I'll get this formal motion and agreement drawn up and sent to the court and his lawyer then" Ms. Sanford smiles sweetly.

As I stand to leave, Ms. Sanford stands to shake my hand once again, but not before interjecting that if I's needed anything else to not hesitate to call her. I leave her office relieved that this part of my life will soon be over, but still I had to live with the fact that my relationship that lasted almost a decade and the home we had built together was coming to an end. As I get into my car and crank it to start to head to pick Ollie up from daycare, I can't help but be thankful that my brother, a Major in the army was kind enough to take me in. His garage, which was recently renovated into a Gym and Guest house, had been my home for the last month and a half. I was blessed that he offered it to me. I could never face my mama and ask her for help knowing that she would have said "I told you so" while rubbing it in my face that she was right all along.

As I arrive at Ollies daycare, I feel my phone vibrate. When I check it, I see a text from my brother Eric.

Eric: Good Morning sis, I am now state side. I'll be home around 10pm tonight.

I quickly respond with excitement...

Ellie: That's amazing!!!!!I've missed you so much. I know Ollie will be excited to see his uncle. Can't wait to fill you in on all things divorce! LOL see you soon!

I open the door to daycare and walk to Ollies classroom.

"Hi Stephanie!" I mumble as I walk in the door, quickly running to give Ollie the biggest hug.

"Hey Ellie! I thought Steven was picking Ollie up tonight?" Stephanie says with a questioning look.

Living in a small town is hard, eventually everyone was going to hear how Steven left me for some bimbo Doctor we work with at the hospital.

"He was, but I got off early because i had an appointment and thought I'd come get Ollie today. Plus, Eric will be home tonight, so I thought it would be nice to get him home and bathed at a reasonable hour." I can see the look of disbelief on her face, but she quickly drops the subject at the thought that Eric will be home.

"Mr. big shot Major Eric Rogers is finally coming home from war" Stephanie's states with amusement in her voice.

"Yes, but you didn't hear that from me" I say with a wink as i gather Ollie and his things to leave.

On my way home I receive a series of angry tests from Steven stating how it was a complete inconvenience for me to not tell him that I picked Ollie up from daycare without telling him before he drove all the way there. I ignore his texts and walk into my comfortable little home I set up for myself. Realizing that its almost time to get Ollie into bed, I quickly feed and bath him before laying him down for the night.

After Ollie is in bed I quickly shower myself and dress in my comfiest pair of running shorts and sweatshirt. I reheat some leftover Chinese food that was in the fridge and pour myself a big glass of wine before retreating to my little balcony that over looks the backyard. I connect my iPhone to the Bluetooth speaker and begin listening to Georgia by Vance Joy. Just as I'm beginning to ponder my thoughts I see head lights pull in the driveway.

Matt's P.O.V:

We begin the 7 hour journey to my temporary home and I can't help but wonder what this place is like. I try to google Tybee Island during our travel and see that its a small beach town, with homes that look like they belong to the rich and famous in the Hamptons or something. Rogers doesn't look like the type to have an uppity lifestyle, but then again I don't know much about the guy. We only talk about the war while over in Iraq, nothing to personal.

As we cross into Georgia I can't help but feel some sort of relief that this long car ride is soon to be over. As Rogers tunes the radio to a local station I turn to ask him a question that's been lingering on my mind since I've googled Tybee Island.

"So, are you like some kind of rich guy who serves in the military because he'd bored with the uppity lifestyle?" I ask with a sarcastic, yet serious tone.

"Uppity?!" Rogers questions.

I can sense a sort of amusement and sarcasm in his voice. "No, not at all . My parents are rich. They gave me a trust fund to live off of, but I couldn't justify just living off of that for the rest of my life. I wanted more, so I enlisted in the military. 8 years now and I'm not really considering leaving as of yet, but i may have to depending on my recovery. So, what about you? City boy or country boy?"

I can sense a sort of curiosity in his voice as this is really the first time we have spoken on a personal level. "Neither" I respond. "I'm a mountain boy. I grew up in Colorado, not too far outside keystone actually".

As the time passes and the small talk turns into silence, I see that we are approaching Tybee Island town limits. It's just as google describes. An in no time at all we approach Rogers driveway. It's lined with sand dunes as I quickly begin to realize his house is on the beach. Rogers throws the car in park and we both exit the vehicle. I can't help but admire his house. It's big, but not too big and in the distance you can hear waves crashing in the background. Seems peaceful enough. As we approach the front porch I can't help but hear the faintest music playing. I brush it off and enter the house.

The inside of the house is decorated very coastal, almost as if a women had decorated it, but I mean he probably had some help. He did say he had a hefty trust fund. He shows me around the house and to my room before leaving me to my own vices. I go over to the window and see that I have a perfect view of the ocean. I quickly finish unpacking my things and shower before being swallowed by the bed and a deep sleep after the long day of travels.